micro:bit Cutebot

I bought 2 cutebots and they work well. It is a great edicational experience and fun to program it. Coding systems like the cutebot should be part of elementary school curricula. Children can start coding it with Blocks and then maybe continue with Javascript and microPython. The main problem may be that many or most teachers may need to be first educated in this area. Free giveaways to qualified teachers by school systems and well designed YouTube tutorial videos may help a lot with this. The cutebot is a well designed robot with many useful, interesting sensors and things to control. elecfreaks sells an updated and expanded version robot. I tested te basic cutebot with the sample Javascript programs and they generally worked. The sample Javascript infrared remote control program doesn't seem to work. Suggest that the cutebot be shipped with the inexpensive remote control, possibly as an option. It is inconvenient to order it separately from elecfreaks and shipping is quite expensive for such a small and light device. Would be nice to have a Javascript and microPython function to read the IR sensor directly for various applications. Hope elecfreaks publishes on their website how to program in Javascript and microPython the I/O pins on the robot's back and what connector to use for this. Would be nice to include a few connectors in the kit for those who want to attach various things to the robot. I bught an elecfreaks Pico:ed micro controller and was able to use it with microPython to control the robot, for example to follow a track. The motor control is very sensitive to battery voltage level. Blocks, Javascript and microPython functions ought to be provided to read the voltage level. With experiencer users could determine at what voltage the batteries need to be changed.

It’s hard to say enough positive things here. The is one of the best value STEM kits you’ll find. It’s easy to use, fun, and has a wide range of possibilities. For beginners: it has a drag and drop code interface just like scratch. It includes several pre-made code examples and tutorials including line following and obstacle avoiding. A few years ago I remember seeing kids line following robots for over $100! For intermediate advanced users: you can program in python, it includes a bunch of extra pins for makers to add their own additions. I had a similar robot as a teenager in a robotics class that was way harder to use and did less for about the same price as this one. Tips: make sure to get the microbit board, it’s not included. It has several other after market add-ins including a game controller available. If you/your kids like gaming, you may want to try the game add-on instead first (same vendor). If they aren’t into gaming, this one is great. You can also get a microbit board first and after they explore options with that get this car robot add on. I got this for my 7 year old, he was a little young for it at first. It had lots of super easy tutorials, decent reading skills or adult guidance are required. Now that he’s eight and better at reading, he’s able to do everything himself. It lasted well the last year. Be careful not to put the batteries in backwards, that will fry the circuit board. Customer service is very responsive and helpful.

The Cutebot is a great way to add physical motion to a micro:bit processor. The Cutebot comes pre-assembled except for the ultrasonic sensor. However, this plugs into the device easily. This is a plus since you do not need to assemble the Cutebot before you can begin using it. Instead, just install some batteries and you are ready to go. A micro:bit processor plugs into a slot on top. Coding the Cutebot is quite easy. The Cutebot extension must be downloaded within the micro:bit app to add customized code blocks for the Cutebot. In addition to the ultrasonic sensor, the Cutebot also has sensors on the bottom so you can code it to follow a line. The Cutebot is a great introduction into robotics and helps take the micro:bit processor to the next level. The only downside is that the top speed is quite fast for following a line. I suggest decreasing the speed so the Cutebot has time to process turns and continue following the line. If you can code a micro:bit, this is not any more difficult. Directions on how to code the Cutebot or a link to direction are included.

Works well, and their online wiki is decent. Used two of these kits for a coding demo for under-10 kids. They were really enamored with them. I had a second set of microbits using Bluetooth to control them. Only caution is that the acoustic sensor that is included should be plugged in to the front-most row of the 2 row connector on the bot. Putting it in the back row caused me issues until I realized it, because the motors quit working. Took me longer than it should’ve to catch that error.

The robot worked for a little over a month and today it stopped responding. The light turns on but doesn't do anything. In addition the switch had started to get hard to turn on or off after a few days.

This is a really cute little bot to use with the microbit. It comes with directions to explain how to connect it to the microbit, it is highly engaging, robot is fast. I purchased these to use with Girls Who Code and they loved them. However, 1 had a broken piece and did not use before return window closed. I cannot find how to contact seller to replace this broken item.

Great product

This was well packaged and comes with complete instructions, which is rare these days. They also included a free gift.

Excelente kit complementario de otros accesorios de robótica.

Me encantó excelente producto